Vengeance
by Jenny Redpiper
Summary: A dark and somber tale of the deep roads, vengeance, and love.  Not at all what I had originally intended to write, but this is what came out.


He dreamt that night in the fade, of the deep roads. They were once again trapped below miles of ancient rock and carved stone in that chamber with the door that wouldn't budge on one wall and a dank passage snaking down into the darkness on the other. He knew he had been here before; that he had lived through this experience, but the terror was still present. His mind nudged him with the fact that he hated being trapped and the terror turned up a notch. He looked over at his companions, all of them were bloodied and bruised from their previous fight. It had definitely taken a toll on them to advance this far into the deep roads, and now that nug humping brother of Varric's had locked them in here to die. The light that flared from the end of his staff did little to alleviate the darkness. Everyone was cast in an eerie blue aura that just made the situation more surreal.

There was no real decision to try their luck down the passageway, it was just a given that whatever waited for them beyond the dark mouth of the tunnel there was really no other option. They formed a tight group and cautiously walked down the path. It was lighter now courtesy of the natural lava flow that still kept to the channels carved for its path so long ago. He wasn't sure that made it better though, as it brought with it a warm fug that covered everything and everyone in the passage. The sweat started to form on his face, his robes grew heavier and it seemed harder to breath, to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He knew even in his discomfort that it would be more unbearable for the companions that were wearing the heavier chain mail and plate armor. He was just thinking things couldn't get much worse, they were trapped down here in the primal glow of the lava, no extra food or water, and no way of knowing if they would ever find a way out, when they were attacked. Again, his mind told him that he had been here before, that he had lived though this, but still the fade made him replay it. This time it was worse though, this time he couldn't cast his magic fast enough, he saw Hawke far ahead of him battling a creature, a monstrous wraith that towered above her, and no matter how fast he tried to catch up to her to include her in the perimeter of his protection he could not. He heard her cry out as the wraith cuffed her hard and threw her aside like a ragdoll. "No!", he screamed, "Andraste's mercy, not you" he felt so helpless, so trapped as he watched the wraith lumber over to her limp form lying across the chamber from him, he glanced frantically around the room hoping one of the others would come to her aid, but there was no sign of them anymore. He could just start to feel Justice clawing his way up from his mind, the agony that it entailed, when he was brought back to the real world.

She was there, in this real world. They had been sleeping tangled together, exhausted from their passion before this nightmare had taken him. Now she was sitting up in the bed, eyes as big as saucers with the sheet clutched around her. "I will make them pay for their actions" he roared at her, his eyes no longer the gentle brown of earlier, but the glowing blue of Justice, of a Justice that had been pushed and contorted with rage until he become Vengeance. The eyes of Anders that looked out from behind Vengeance knew that she was scared, he could see that, but could do nothing about it. He couldn't lift a finger to help her, to comfort her. "Anders, are you in there?" she managed to get out, as the words caught in her throat. She tried again, making her voice stronger this time. "Anders, I love you, please come back to me" she shouted with desperation. She was crying now, and his heart broke as he saw her like this. Slowly, he felt the malice drain from him, felt Vengeance withdraw, once again becoming Justice. The blue light dimmed and was replaced by brown irises. Sobbing, Hawke wrapped herself around him crooning to him and to herself that everything would be alright. He had come so close to losing himself again, and once again, it was Hawke and the love she had for him that had brought him back from the edge. "I don't deserve her" he thought as the grief and guilt overwhelmed him. "One day, I will come back from the edge to have her dead in my arms" he railed at himself. But he knew she would not leave, she had bound her heart to him and would not walk away from him, from what he could become. All he could offer her now was comfort. He stroked her hair until she quieted, until the sunlight started to slowly filter into the room taking with it the darkness of the night.


End file.
